Skelp tongs



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1. i

P.BOYD.

SKELP TONGS. No. 557,480. Patented Mar. 31, 1896.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Ma@ QM @g/gm Mkmamm ANPREW B.GRAHAM. PHUO-UTNQWASHINGTO". D.C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P.B0YD. y SKEL? TONGS. u No. 557,480. Patented-Mar. 3l, 1896.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Mfwfw @MW c/9m mmmm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER BOYD, OF VIIEELING, NVEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE RIVERSIDE IRONWORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,480, dated March31, 1896.

Application led March Z9, 1895. Serial No. 543,670. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETER BOYD, a citizen of the United States, residingat lVheeling, in the county of Ohio and State of W'est Virginia,

have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in SkelpTongs, of which improvements the following is a specification.

Considerable difficulty is experienced in the 1o use of the lazy-tongstype of bell-welding tongs, for the reason that the pivots connectingthe inner arms of the tongs are brought into line with each other whenthe grippingjaws are closed, or nearly closed, and thereby permit thegripping-jaws to swing or rotate on the intermediate pivots. Hence theworkman will not be able to control the grippingjaws by the reins.

The object of the present invention is to provide a stop whereby thisindependent swinging or rotation of the jaws is prevented and theworkman is enabled to control the gripping-jaws at all times.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a side elevation of pipe-gripping tongs embodying myinvention. Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views illustrating certainmodifications of my improvenients.

In the practice of my invention the reins, consisting of the long arms 1and short arms 2, are pivotally connected together in the usual mannerby a pin 3, and to the ends of the short arms 2 are pivoted the arms 4of the gripping-jaws 5, said arms being pivotally connected by a pin 6.The joint between the short arms of the reins and the arms 4is formed bypassing a pin through the overlapping ends of said arms, and as thesepivotpins come into line with each other as the jaws are closed thelatter are free to move together on said pins, so that the workman losescontrol of the jaws. In order to overcome this diiiiculty, I form thejoint by laterally recessing the sides of the arms 2 and 4, therebyforming at the end of each arm a tongue 7 and a shoulder 8 at the rearof the tongue. As shown in Fig. 1, the shoulder is straight and passesat an angle greater than a right angle across the arm. The tongues aremade of the same length, and in fastening the arms together the tonguesoverlap, the tongue in one arm passing into the recess in the other armand the pivot-pin 9 passing through the tongues midway of their length.It results from this construction that while the tongues are free toturn in their recesses while opening the jaws the tongue on one arm willbear against the shoulder on the other arm, when the two arms arebrought into line with each other, thereby preventing any furthermovement of the two armsthat is to say, the arms 2 and 4 are free to bemoved out of line with each other in one direction,` but are held asagainst such movement in the opposite direction. This holding of thearms 2 and 4 as against movement out of line with each other in morethan one direction can be effected, as shown in Fig. 2, by securing orburning strips 10 on the edges of the arms 2 in such manner that whenthe arms 2 and 4 are brought into line with each other the free ends ofthe strips will bear upon the edges of the arms 4 and thereby hold thelatter as long as the jaws are closed inline with each other. In theconstruction shown in Fig. 3 this holding of the jaws in line with thereins when closed is effected by means of a strip 1l having one endconnected to the pivot-pin 6 of the jaws and provided with a slot l2,through which passes the pivot-pin 3. This strip extends back a shortdistance between the reins, which are provided on their outer edges withinwardly projecting lugs 13, adapted to .bear upon opposite sides of thestrip when the reins are closed, thereby preventing any swinging of theclosed jaws on the pins connecting the arms 2 and 4.

lVhile I have shown and described several embodiments of my invention,the latter is not limited to such constructions, but consists in theprovision in the lazy-tongs type of grippers of means for holding thegrippingjaws when closed or approximately closed in line with the reins.

One of the reins is provided on its inner face With ribs or lugs 14,arranged a sufficient distance apart to permit of the entrance of theother rein, whereby the two reins are held together.

I claim herein as my inventionl. 4Pipe-drawing tongs vhaving in combina-IOO 1o j aws, the inner ends of the arms of the jaws and reins beingpivotally connected, one pair of arms being provided with shouldersagainst which the ends of the other pair of arms will bear when the jawsare closed and thereby hold the reins and jaws in or approximately inline with each other, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand.

PETER BOYD.

lVitnesses DARWIN S. WoLoor'r, F. E. GAITHER.

